Author of “Escaping Christianity-Finding Christ,” Barbara Symons joins Michael for a lively conversation on her journey out of evangelical/charismatic/fundamentalist Christianity into a mystic awareness of Jesus. Learn how she was indoctrinated over decades into a “schizophrenic Christianity” and ultimately went through a sometimes painful, but an incredibly freeing deprogramming process.
Barbara and Michael discuss her largely experiential breakthroughs that led her to expose and overcome the cognitive dissonance within the modern conservative Christian movement and how her experiences dovetail with and validate Michael’s largely historical studies on Christianity.
Hear how Barbara came to recognize the Spirit behind her past experiences is cross cultural and not limited to one religious sect. She shares how she uncovered and discovered the metaphorical messages in scripture and how they advanced her understanding of Spiritual truth as it pertains to who we are, why we are here, and where we are going. Barbara helps us “embrace the Divine” outside debilitating and abusive religious systems.
Visit www.barbarasymons.com to learn more.
I had a really hard time with how Barbara described things. My brain kept saying “geez, she sounds like someone way out there … Ego, metaphysical, astrology, etc” but that’s just because I relate more to the study aspect. I’m going to listen to this episode again and again until I can figure out what the heck she’s taking about lol
Ann Marie, I hear you. I think she has developed these terms over time and they are unfamiliar to most people who are or were in the traditional evangelical movement. I don’t remember her talking about astrology, though. Point is, take what you can get from her story that can help you and anything that doesn’t help or you can’t accept, leave it behind. Thanks for weighing in!